10 Things You Can Do To Speed Up Your Metabolism

Let’s face it, we aren’t 12 anymore

Once upon a time, the little trainer inside all of us—also known as our metabolism—worked double time to get rid of all the junk that we were feeding our bodies. And thanks to her, we were able to keep the pounds off. But let’s face it, she’s gotten tired over the years and we need to start helping her.

1) Get your protein fix

Eating food can actually help increase your metabolism for a few hours because of the extra calories you need to digest and process the nutrients in your meal. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF) and protein causes the largest rise in it. Protein also makes you full faster and prevents you from overeating.

2) Drink it cold

At this point, it should be common knowledge that water trumps sugary energy drinks every single time. But consuming 0.5 liters of water also increases your resting metabolism by around 10-30 percent. Even better than that is consuming cold water, because your body uses extra energy to heat it up to body temperature first.

3) Take the HIIT

High-intensity interval training has proven itself an effective way to burn fat. Moreover, it helps increase your metabolic rate even after your workout is finished.

4) Tea time

Green tea and oolong tea increase metabolism by at least 4 to 5 percent. These particular teas help convert the fat stored into your body into free fatty acids, which in turn increase fat burning.

5) Hit the hay

We know that you can’t help it sometimes, but you need a good night’s sleep every night. Lack of sleep has negative effects on metabolism and it also boosts the hunger hormone (ghrelin) and decreases the fullness hormone (leptin).

6) Have a cup

Much like green tea and oolong tea, caffeine is also an effective fat burner and can even boost metabolism by as much as 3 to 11 percent.

7) Don’t skip breakfast

Coffee and tea are great, but they shouldn’t ever replace breakfast. Having a meal in the morning jump-starts your metabolism and helps keep your energy high all day. If you can’t afford to sit down (hello, Manila traffic), at least have some yogurt or oatmeal.

8) Spice things up

Studies have found that capsaicin, which gives chilies their spicy taste, can also speed up your metabolism. So eating one tablespoon of chopped red or green chilies can boost your body’s production of heat—and temporarily spike metabolism by 23 percent.